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Sprint car champion Jason Meyers entrusted with carrying Sander Engineering into the future
BY NATE VAN WAGNEN
W hen two-time World of Outlaws champion Jason Meyers retired from full-time , competitive sprint car racing in 2012 , he knew he wanted to maintain a presence in the motorsports industry . He remains involved in sprint car racing as a team owner , but that alone didn ’ t scratch the itch . In 2023 , he found the outlet he was looking for when he purchased wheel manufacturer Sander Engineering from longtime friend and founder Glen Sander . Meyers , whose stepfather was a tool and die maker , grew up in a machine shop learning how to fabricate and use CNC machines to turn raw materials into finished products . He raced micros before stepping up to sprint cars , and his stepfather was adamant that he would use only the best products , including Sander wheels . Meyers
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started using Sander wheels in 1996 , and through his retirement in 2012 , all of his cars rode on Sander wheels . He also became good friends with Glen Sander , a “ drag racer who made sprint car parts .”
“ One thing I ’ ve always respected about Glen is , having grown up in a machine shop , I know quality materials and quality parts ,” Meyers explains . “ Glen has just always made the best possible part that he could make , whether it was choosing the best material , the best processes , the best finishes . He has always worked to make the very best parts that he could .”
Meyers and Sander first discussed a potential sale when Meyers retired , but things didn ’ t line up right away . The two would revisit the conversation every year until 2022 , when Meyers was seriously considering adding a motorsports-focused business to a portfolio that had grown to include a large construction company . Sander and his wife , Mindy , were ready to sell , and they all
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came to an agreement . Meyers was named the new owner in early 2023 .
“ I ’ m excited to have this opportunity to carry on a brand that I think has that reputation for quality and innovation ,” Meyers says , “ and also just to carry on the legacy of a man who I highly respect , who always treated me with the utmost respect , even when I was young and coming up through the ranks . I really respect Glen and Mindy as people and as businessmen and women . It ’ s really an honor for me to have this opportunity .”
It ’ s a multi-faceted opportunity for Meyers , one that checks a lot of boxes both personally and professionally .
“ Yes , it ’ s a business decision and I ’ m buying a business and there ’ s all the business mathematics that go around it , but for me more than anything , it ’ s the idea that I ’ m getting to be involved in a sport that I love ,” Meyers says . “ We ’ re involved in motorsports , not just in the open wheel side ,
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SANDER ENGINEERING |